Kermit Davis evaluates why Ole Miss has lost games in multiple ways

The offense finally showed up for Ole Miss during this week’s game against Missouri as the Rebels put up 77 points — their highest mark in conference play and the most points they’ve scored in a game since early December. Except the one night the offense pulled its weight, the Ole Miss defense allowed its highest total of the year, 89 points, against Mizzou, resulting in yet another SEC loss.

It’s been that sort of year for head coach Kermit Davis. His Rebels are 1-7 in conference play and tied for dead last in the league, and without much optimism in sight. Now, the Rebels have actually played pretty decent defense for most of the year. Of those seven conference losses, only twice has Ole Miss allowed more than 70 points (against Missouri and Alabama). A pretty impressive stat for a 1-7 team. However, the offense has been abysmal, ranking 200th in the country in efficiency since SEC play began.

When the Rebels had their best offensive performance, the defense had its worst. A hard pill to swallow for Coach Davis, who reflected on his team’s complete inability to win games.

“It’s been pretty common that we’ve been a good defensive team, except for tonight, you know,” said Davis after the Missouri loss. “But I mean, Alabama, I think, is the best offensive team in college basketball. We gave up over 80 points there. So you’re right about that. And tonight, way too many (points). And yeah, it was just — against Arkansas, we guarded them enough, we just didn’t shoot it well enough.”

Ole Miss just can’t seem to play well enough on both sides of the ball to ever secure the victories. They just find ways to lose, according to Kermit Davis.

“Teams that find themselves kind of where we are — we’ll find different ways to lose games right now. And we have found different ways. I like the fight of our team, you know. We tried like heck and, I mean, hat’s off to Missouri. They made a bunch of shots tonight and a lot of different guys made shots and credit to them. But like I said, offensively, we were plenty good enough tonight.”

It’s the Tale of Two Sides Of the Basketball, where for Ole Miss against Missouri, it was the best of times on offense and worst of times on defense. They’re in need of some consistency down in Oxford.